Crown Prince of Thailand

Standard of the Crown Prince of Thailand

Standard of the Crown Prince of Siam (1897-1910)

The Crown Prince of Thailand (or Siam) (Thai: สยามมกุฎราชกุมาร: Sayammakutratchakuman) was a title held by the heir apparent to the Thai throne. First created by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1886, for his son Prince Maha Vajirunhis, the king's eldest son by a royal wife Princess Consort Savang Vadhana. Prior to this the Siamese throne did not have a law or formal system regulating the royal succession. In 1688 King Petracha of Ayutthaya created the title of Front Palace, which by the Rattanakosin period had become the heir presumptive to the throne. However few Front Palaces have succeeded to the throne this way, with the exception of King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (Rama II) in 1809. After the Front Palace crisis in 1875, the title of Front Palace was abolished and replaced with the title of Crown Prince, who became heir apparent to the throne.

In 1924 King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) promulgated the 1924 Palace Law of Succession to regulate the succession, this law essentially barred females, children of commoner wives or children of foreign wives to the throne, it also re-affirmed Agnatic Primogeniture, or succession through the male-line by seniority. This law also affected the individuals who could become Crown Prince. Since its creation only three Princes have been raised to this title, so far only one has succeeded to the throne.

Crown Princes

Crown Princes of Thailand
Picture	Name	Relationship to monarch	Mother	Birth	Receive title	Ceased to be Crown Prince
	Maha Vajirunhis	Eldest son of King Rama V	Princess Consort Savang Vadhana	27 June 1878	14 January 1886[1]	4 January 1895 (death)
	Maha Vajiravudh later King Rama VI	Eldest son of King Rama V	Queen Saovabha Bongsri	1 January 1881	4 January 1895[2]	23 October 1910 (ascension)
	Maha Vajiralongkorn	Eldest son of King Rama IX	Queen Sirikit	28 July 1952	28 December 1972[3]	incumbent

Heirs to the throne

List of heirs apparent and heirs presumptive since 1886, those in bold succeeded to the throne as King.

Heirs to the Thai Throne
Heir	Status	Relationship to monarch	Became Heir		Ceased to be Heir		Next in line of succession (Relation to heir)	Monarch
			Date	Reason	Date	Reason
Maha Vajirunhis	Crown Prince	Eldest son	14 January 1886	New creation	4 January 1895	Died of typhoid, age 17	Prince Vajiravudh, 1886–1895, half-brother	Rama V
Maha Vajiravudh	Crown Prince	Eldest son	4 January 1895	Dead of previous	23 October 1910	Father died, became king.	Prince Chakrabongse, 1895–1910, brother
Chakrabongse Bhuvanadh	Prince Brother	Brother	23 October 1910	Brother became king	13 June 1920	Died of pneumonia, age 37	Prince Asdang, 1910–1920, brother	Rama VI
Asdang Dejavudh	Prince Brother	Brother	13 June 1920	Death of previous	9 February 1924	Died of nephrosis, age 36	Prince Chudadhuj, 1910–1923, brother
							Prince Prajadhipok, 1923-24, brother
Prajadhipok	Prince Brother	Brother	9 February 1924	Death of previous	25 November 1925	Brother died, became king	Prince Mahidol, 1924-1925, half-brother
Mahidol Adulyadej	Prince Brother	Half-brother	25 November 1925	Half-brother became King	24 September 1929	Died of pneumonia, age 37	Ananda Mahidol, 1925-1929, son	Rama VII
Ananda Mahidol	Phra Ong Chao (1927)	Nephew (son of Mahidol Adulyadej)	24 September 1929	Death of previous	2 March 1935	Abdication of uncle	Bhumibol Adulyadej, 1932-1935 brother
Bhumibol Adulyadej	Phra Ong Chao	Prince Brother	2 March 1935	Brother became King	9 June 1946	Brother died, became King	none	Rama VIII
Maha Vajiralongkorn	Crown Prince (1972)	Eldest and only Son	28 July 1952	Born	present	incumbent	Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, 2005- son	Rama IX

See also

• 1924 Palace Law of Succession
• Monarchy of Thailand
• List of Thai Monarchs
• Chakri Dynasty

References

Royal Gazette

1. ^ Royal Gazette, Announcement of the appointment of Prince Vajirunhis to the Crown Prince of Siam (Thai), Volume 3, Chapter 44, 1 March 1886, page 368
2. ^ Royal Gazette, The Investiture of Crown Prince Maha Vajiravudh (Thai), Volume 11, Chapter 63, 20 January, 1895, page 346
3. ^ Royal Gazette, Royal Decree announcing the Investiture of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn (Thai), Volume 89, Chapter 200 (ก), Special Edition, 28 December 1972, Page 1

Bibliography

• Prince Chula Chakrabongse, HRH (1967). Lords of Life: A History of the Kings of Thailand. United Kingdom: Alvin Redman Limited. 
• Kesboonchoo Mead, Kullada (2004). The Rise and Decline of Thai Absolutism. United Kingdom: Routledge Curzon. ISBN 0-415-29725-7. 
• OKNation.net, "เจ้านาย" ผู้มีสิทธิ์ในราชบัลลังก์ เมื่อปี พ.ศ. 2477 (จบ) (Thai), September 2009, Retrieved 2010-03-16